A mother and one of her children children with lawyer Patrick Warner and social worker Antoinette Rosso seeking help from Justice Connect, a legal clinic for women who are at risk of becoming homeless due to family violence. Photo: Wayne Taylor

He hurled it towards the house, in Melbourne's outer western suburbs, and followed it with a volley of home-made petrol bombs.

The arson attack left the windows smashed, the room partly burnt and Meg (not her real name), and her family deeply traumatised.

His extreme violence began after she ended their four-year relationship. It progressed through stalking and cat-and-mouse games with the police and saw him give a metaphorical middle finger to a series of intervention orders, terrorising Meg and their young child.

Finally he rampaged through her public housing flat and killed her beloved pet, an occasion that left bloodstains on the carpet and the sad detritus of violence; a broken door, holes in walls.

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Meg fled to a women's refuge and the Department of Human Services quickly rehoused her in a secret location for her own safety.

But she was dismayed to get a $1600 bill for the damages he had wrought on her flat. When Meg learned her ex-partner was eligible for parole, she asked to be moved again (he had found out where she was living) only to be told that this would not be possible until she had repaid the $1600 debt owing.

It was only with the help of the new free program to prevent women falling into homelessness that Meg was successful in getting the department to waive her debt.

Run by legal service Justice Connect, the Women's Homelessness Prevention Project offers free consultations with a lawyer and - unusually for a legal clinic - a social worker, to provide more "holistic" support for women in incredibly complex situations.

Justice Connect lawyer Patrick Warner said more than 80 per cent of clients in the past six months had managed to keep their housing. Four of every five clients were facing eviction due to rent arrears and every single one had a history of family violence.

Homelessness can be a conveyor belt, with homeless clients coming back through the courts or getting into strife because they do not have anywhere to stay, says Warner.

This clinic tries to prevent this because research shows that when people are homeless, it's much harder for them to deal with their legal issues.

One common trend the clinic's lawyers have noted is for women to get behind on rent after their violent partner has moved out and taken his income with him, he says.

Justice Connect social worker Antoinette Russo rocks Meg's young son to sleep in his pram as she explains the support she provides for the women.

Sometimes they need food vouchers, referrals to other support workers or just a listening ear, she said. "It's about trying to offer them a softer landing", she said.